Financial Transactions and Fraud Schemes — tests your comprehension of the types of fraudulent financial transactions incurred in accounting records. To pass Financial Transactions & Fraud Schemes, you will be required to
demonstrate knowledge of the following concepts: basic accounting and auditing theory, fraud schemes, internal controls to deter fraud and other auditing and accounting matters.

Law — ensures your familiarity with the many legal ramifications of conducting fraud examinations, including criminal and civil law, rules of evidence, rights of the accused and accuser, and expert witness matters.

CFE Exam Format

The CFE Exam is administered online via computer.

The exam contains four sections.

The CFE Exam is a closed-book and closed-notes exam.

The CFE Exam can be taken at a time convenient for you.

The exam has a number of controls to ensure integrity and each exam is generated from a master database. No two exams are exactly the same.

To be eligible for the CFE Exam, you must be an ACFE member and have an approved CFE Exam application on file.

The CFE Exam you take will correspond with the year/edition you are using to study. For example, if you’re studying with the 2017 CFE Exam Prep Course, U.S. Edition, you will take the 2017 CFE Exam, U.S. Edition.

A particular CFE Exam is only valid for a period of two years after the release date. For example, the 2017 CFE Exam, U.S. Edition will be valid until December 2018. If the study materials or exam you have are expired, we will provide
you with the most current version of the exam.

CFE Exam Details

After entering your exam activation key, you have 30 days to complete all four sections of the CFE Exam and submit it for grading.

Once you start a section of the exam, you must complete it.

You are not required to complete all four sections in one sitting. In fact, we recommend only taking a section or two at a time.

You must complete all four sections before submitting your CFE Exam for grading.

You must pass all four sections of the exam within three consecutive attempts.

A CFE Exam affidavit must be submitted for each submission of the CFE Exam.

Requesting your CFE Exam Activation Key

IF YOU STUDIED WITH THE CFE EXAM PREP COURSE

Select Request Exam Activation Key within the course.

An Exam Activation Key will be sent by email within 3-5 business days.

If you studied with the Fraud Examiners Manual:

You will receive the CFE Exam when your CFE Exam application is approved.

Open your CFE Exam and select Request Exam Activation Key within the course.

An Exam Activation Key will be sent by email within 3-5 business days.

Entering the CFE Exam Activation Key

Once you have requested and received your CFE Exam Activation Key:

Open the CFE Exam software.

On the home tab, select Enter Exam Key.

Copy the Exam Activation Key from the email and paste it into the box provided.

Submitting the CFE Exam

After you have completed all four sections of the CFE Exam, submit your completed CFE Exam:

Select the Submit CFE Exam button on the Exam tab of the CFE Exam software.

Please allow 3-5 business days for review of your CFE Exam.

CFE Exam Affidavit

A
CFE Exam Affidavit, verifying the completion of your exam without assistance, is required for each submission
of the CFE Exam. Upload your completed CFE Exam Affidavit to the
Certification Portal upon completion of your exam submission.

CFE Exam Results

You will receive notification of your exam results, via email, within 3-5 business days of your exam submission. You must score at least 75 percent correct on each section of the CFE Exam in order to pass. CFE Exam scores are only released
when you have not achieved the 75 percent pass rate. This procedure ensures the integrity of the testing process. The ACFE Board of Regents oversees the exam process.

CFE Exam Retakes

If you have studied using the CFE Exam Prep Course and do not pass, you may qualify for the Money-Back Pass Guarantee. If you qualify for the Money-Back Pass Guarantee you will receive a Retake Exam Activation Key with your results. If you
do not qualify for the Money-Back Pass Guarantee or have studied without the CFE Exam Prep Course and do not pass, you may retake the CFE Exam for $25 per section. Within 3-5 business days of receiving the retake fee(s), your Retake Exam
Activation Key will be sent to you by email.

All four sections must be passed in three consecutive attempts. A CFE Exam affidavit is required for each submission of the CFE Exam.

FAQs

When and where can I take the CFE Exam?

The CFE Exam is a computer based program, which you may take at any time. We do not use testing centers and do not have designated times when we administer the CFE Exam. To be eligible to take the CFE Exam, you will need to be a current member
of the ACFE and have an approved CFE Exam Application on file.

I requested my CFE Exam Access Key today, when will I receive it?

If your CFE Exam application is approved, your request for the CFE Exam access key will be fulfilled within 3-5 business days.

My exam application is not complete; can I request the CFE Exam?

If you request the CFE Exam Activation Key before your CFE Exam application is approved, your CFE Exam Activation Key will not be sent to you. Your CFE Exam Activation Key will be sent to you by email within 3-5 business days of your CFE Exam
application approval.

How much time will I need to take the CFE Exam?

Each question has a time limit of 75 seconds, and each section takes approximately 2 hours and 5 minutes to complete. Although the total exam time is approximately 8 hours, applicants have 30 days from initiation of the exam program to finish.
Applicants may take each section of the exam at their own convenience, as long as all sections are completed by the end of the 30 days.

You have 30 days to complete all four sections of the CFE Exam and submit it to the ACFE for grading. You must complete each section in one sitting, but you do not have to complete all four sections at once.

Why is the Submit Button not available? I have completed one section of the CFE Exam.

You will need to complete all four sections of the CFE Exam before you can submit it for grading.

I submitted my exam today, when will I get my exam results?

You will receive your CFE Exam results within 3 to 5 business days. The results will be sent to you by email.

I did not pass all four sections of the CFE exam on my first attempt; do I have to retake them all?

No. On your second attempt of the CFE Exam you would only have to retake the sections you did not pass. You will have three attempts to pass all four sections of the CFE Exam.